Wild Arms 2

Wild Arms 2, originally known in Japan and in Western marketing as Wild Arms: 2nd Ignition, is a western / steampunk role-playing game developed by Media.Vision and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It is the second game in the Wild Arms series, released in the year 2000 for the Sony PlayStation console.

Contents

Story

(From the American manual)
Once, there was a Blaze of Disaster that stained Filgaia with its crimson flames.... The flames from the earth scorched the heavens. The blazing whirlwinds threatened to consume the very future of the planet. Mankind clung to its only hope of surviving this life-or-death crisis: the Sword Magess. Born as the daughter of a nameless petty nobleman, she was drawn to the call of the Guardian Blade named "Argetlahm." With no way to fight, the people cast their hopes on the Magess’ sword and believed in the future.

The night of the seventh day after obtaining the sword — wrapped in a torrent of light, the Magess vanished from Filgaia together with the Blaze of Disaster, leaving behind Argetlahm plunged deep in the earth....

Time passed. The Guardian Blade Argetlahm began to be treated as a symbol of power. The battle of the Sword Magess remained in the hearts of the people as a familiar, ubiquitous legend. But the people had no reason to think that their familiar legends of the past would have meaning in the present — and in the future.

Main Characters

Ashley Winchester - The effective main character of the game. A natural-born hero that inherits both the power of the evil demon Lord Blazer and the sword of the Sword Magess. He is dealing with the balance of these two forces, and the true meaning of 'heroism' that not only drives his story, but that of the rest of the game.

Brad Evans - A former war hero now treated as a war criminal. He's tough, powerful, and has the best understanding of the military mind of the group. His story is to come to grips with what he can do now that his wars are over and those he served no longer have a need for him. He's the 'displaced veteran' of the group.

Llika Eleniak - A crest sorceress attempting to fill her talented older sister's shoes. She's the cheerful girl of the group, though this is largely a front to cover up her own lack of confidence in her skills.

Tim Rhymeless - Tim is a young orphaned boy in the town of Meria. Despite his youth and innocence, Tim retains a powerful ability to speak to and command the Guardians through his Summoning skills. Tim's story deals with the selfishness and often emptiness of sacrifice.

Kanon - Kanon is a bounty-hunter determined to bring down the demon Lord Blazer that inhabits Ashley's body. Kanon has a tortured past, and her story deals with the conflict of what she thinks she should be, and what she truly wants to be.

Marivel Armitage - Marivel is one of the last, if not the last,-of the Crimson Noble race. She is an optional player-character, but has knowledge of history and technology far greater than any other character. Her long life, however, has made her despairingly lonely. Her story reveals a lot of Filgaia's history, that of the Crimson Nobles, and her resolve to persevere despite it all.

Locations

Dungeons

Spiral Tower

Illsveil Prison

Lost Garden

Meteorite Crater

Shining Garden

Closed Mine

Withard Ruins

Under Traffic

Trivia

The original title of the game was "Wild Arms: 2nd Ignition", though "Wild Arms 2" appears on covers as well. For some time, there was confusion about the title's presentation being in all capital-letters, leading some (most infamously RPGamer) to believe that "ARMS" actually stood for the acronym used within the game. After the release of Wild Arms 4, however, Sony clarified the name of the franchise, as well as all of its games, making this game definitively "Wild Arms 2".

This particular entry in the series is noted for having a weak translation in comparison to its predecessor and successors. As a result, the characters speak in odd ways in English, and many scenes with dialogue that utilize Japanese references (specifically conversations with Liz) make no sense to U.S. gamers. Some parts of the story are also lost in translation due to the sloppy quality.